


Nothing suits me like  a suit

by auworksforme



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Gender or Sex Swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-09
Updated: 2013-06-09
Packaged: 2017-12-14 11:11:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/836248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auworksforme/pseuds/auworksforme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eighteen year old Charlotte just wants to be a professor. Sadly, for someone her age and sex, she won't be able to become anything else than an assistant. So she takes on the (telepathic) guise of an older man.<br/>Falling in love with one her colleagues is just another hurdle she will have to take ..</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First day

It was Monday morning and Charlotte's first day of work at university as a professor. She was stoked.  
She also was an eighteen year old girl who was going to pose as a twenty-seven-ish man.  
  
"Lot." Her twin brother helped her with her tie. "Are you sure about this? Can't you just start as a TA or something?"  
  
"Wes, if I'm going to start as a TA, I'll end my days as a TA. One of the interviewers thought it was amazing that I could finish so much degrees at such a young age and that was _after_ I told him that I was twenty-seven!"  
  
Wesley straightened her tie, plucked at her shoulders and stepped back. "Don't you think a suit is a bit much?"  
  
"It's freaking brown corduroy. I tried my hardest to look uninterested but still dressed. I don't know what the dress code is!" Charlotte turned to the mirror and bundled her hair into a knot.  
  
"And I thought we weren't going to use our abilities any more for anything less than lethal."  
  
She was going to snap at him when she realized he was teasing her.  
  
"And why not project clothes as well?"  
  
"Clothes are harder." Charlotte sighed. "They crinkle and you have to remember them and .. right now people expect me to be a man, so they'll see a man. Okay? Could you get off my case?"  
  
"I love you, Lot. Give them a taste of Xavier and go kick a-"  
  
"Yes, that's enough." She stuck out her tongue. "This is going to be exciting and everything will work out fine. More than fine. Do you think the subject of mutant women rights in today's society will be too much for a first day?"

//

"Mister Xavier?" A tall blonde, completely dressed in white, knocked on the door of Charlotte's college room.  
  
Before even bothering with remembering her name, she picked it out of the woman's mind. _Emma. Emma Frost, TA in the English department._ Charlotte tried hard not to be impressed how good looking she was.  
  
"Yes?" She cleared her throat and re-aligned all the chalks on her desk again.  
  
"Every first Monday of the month all the professors start of with a small get together and speech of one of the board of trustees. That's why the time table only starts at eleven o'clock." Emma smiled. "Someone must have forgotten to tell you, because everyone's so used to it around here."  
  
"Oh. This is the first time I'm hearing of it, indeed. Th- where is this small get together?" Charlotte thrust her hands in the pockets of her suit and walked over to her. Stupid mistake, because the woman was much taller and now she had to look up to meet her eyes.  
  
"The vice-chancellor's office. I can walk you?" She winked. "Don't take this personal, if it wasn't for all the ladies of Administration, people probably wouldn't even have noticed you being new. Every department is a kingdom, we are the worker bees that makes is function."  
  
Emma probably thought something along the lines of ' _o you silly men_ ' right now. Charlotte bit her lip and nodded. "We couldn't do without women. The head of Sociology and Philosophy is professor Luther, right?"  
  
"He is. And he is always very eager to help, so just knock on his door any time you need something."  
  
 _As soon as I can find his door._  
  
"Shall we?" The TA looked at her watch. "Being late is one of the things we are very strict about around here."  
  
"Just let me get me my jacket." Right now, the suit was part of the armour Charlotte was keeping up.

//

The first thing Charlotte wondered about was how big the vice-chancellor was if he needed such a huge office. The second thing she noticed was that she was the only woman around. Every professor was a man, Emma hadn't even entered the room, but left her at the door.  
  
"Mister Xavier!" Professor Luther, an impressive man with such a light dark skin that xenophobes could call it a tan, approached her with a smile. "I didn't forget about your first day, I simply expected someone else to tell you about this. Who brought you here? And can I offer you some coffee?"  
  
"Coffee would be l- great." She preferred tea. "Emma, miss Frost found me in my room and helped me out."  
  
"Ah, the striking miss Frost. Never understood why she didn't try her hand in modelling or some sort. Anyway, you will have to thank Erik for that, she's his assistant."  
  
"Erik?"  
  
The professor smiled and pointed to a tall man dressed in a turtle neck sweater and jeans. _They were allowed to wear jeans?_ "Lensherr, head of the English department, which is a bit ironic if you look at his last name. German."  
  
"Ah." It was like looking at a nature documentary, the man slipping through the crowd like a lion through the savannah grass. "English?"  
  
"He even does accents, but only ask that on a Friday afternoon and after five shots." Luther winked. "Coffee, I'm sorry. Be right with you."  
  
Erik Lensherr stood out like a sore thumb. Different standing, different clothes, different presence. He could have been a MI6 spy and Charlotte would think it more believable than professor of the English department.  
Not that it mattered. She should stop staring before someone would notice.  
  
"Small minds are concerned with the extraordinary, great minds with the ordinary. So even though it seems like you're staring at me, you must be thinking about something even more ordinary than me." Professor Erik Lensherr talked to her like there was no-one else in the room, effectively turning everyone's attention to Charlotte.  
  
 _Shit._ She let everyone ignore her small blush. "Blaise Pascal."  
  
"He's one of mine, Lensherr." Professor Luther returned and offered her a cup of coffee. "Charles Xavier."  
  
"Charles Xavier." Erik closed the distance between them. "Xavier .. didn't you write the essay on the shocking degree in which mutant women are pressured twice as much as human women?"  
  
"I did. I have a twin who suffers much from the fact that mutant women are somehow expected to be wiser, smarter, funnier and prettier because their DNA has an extra part tacked on." _Good one, carry on breathing._ "It's a matter that's close to home for me."  
  
Someone booed and the room exploded in laughter. "No work talk on Monday morning!", someone yelled.  
  
"And especially no talk about women on Monday morning", another added.  
  
"I thought it was a very interesting piece. And not so badly written, seeing as it comes from a scientist."  
  
"Erik, don't start so early." Luther gave him a playful push.  
  
"Thank you." Charlotte hid half her face behind the coffee cup so he couldn't see her beam.  
  
"Maybe we can continue the subject another time?" Erik looked at his watch, two fingers moving above it like he was counting. "My day ends at 5.25."  
  
"Four o'clock, without learning students' names by heart and rede-" No man in the wide world redecorated his desk. "Come find me when you're finished? Are we allowed in each other's departments?"  
  
Her boss shook with laughter. "You must be new." He patted her on her shoulder. "It's only the question if you _want_ to be in an other department."  
  
 _Well, if Erik was there .._ Charlotte mentally clasped a hand over that thought. She had searched for other telepathic mutants, but hadn't found any. Yet.  
  
"I'll come find you when I'm finished." Erik rubbed in his eyes. "But first I need more coffee."

//

Charlotte hadn't expected that an entire day of teaching could be so tiring. The students were so committed! When she had been studying, she usually was one of the few to start a debate during college, but in every group there had been six or seven who wanted to have their say, wondering about her arguments.  
Exciting of course, but still. Maybe she would had to start with drinking coffee in the afternoon as well.  
  
"Sir?" One of her students, a young man who with just two other men was a minority in her class, tapped her desk. "About the debate for tomorrow .. are we allowed to use Sebastian Shaw as a source?"  
  
Charlotte tensed. Shaw was a mutant extremist who got in and out of jail because of warmongering and slander. "If you can support why you would use him as a source."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"And maybe a warning beforehand." She didn't knew how much mutants there were between her students, but she didn't want to offend anyone.  
  
"Okay. Thanks, professor."  
  
To be called professor was so cool. Charlotte smiled at him. "Not a problem. See you tomorrow, Sean."  
  
  
After two hours she had prepared next day's classes and was half way through the list of all her students.  
  
Erik, his presence already familiar in her mind, knocked on her door before opening it. "Charles?"  
  
"Come in." She told herself not to fumble and pushed her pens away.  
  
"How was your first day?" He closed the door behind him. "Exhausting? Are you okay with me visiting?"  
  
"Yes and yes." A chair. She rose to fetch the stool, but he stopped her.  
  
"Stay put if you're exhausted. Er .." He pursed his lips. "Maybe I'm kicking in an open door here, but do you mind if I use .."  
  
 _If I use .. Erik was a mutant. Why hadn't she picked up on that?_ "Of course not, go ahead." Her curiosity was peeked.  
  
With an elegant flick of his wrist he summoned the stool to stand next to Charlotte's chair.  
  
"Telekinesis?" It was considered rude to ask if someone was a mutant and what their powers were, but Erik had so easily offered that part about himself .. she only had to be careful he didn't return the question.  
  
"Magnetodynamics. Control of everything metal."  
  
"Are you the only one, in the team?" Nice save. "If you want to share, of course. I know some m- people consider it rude."  
  
"I'm fine with the word mutant." Erik sat down next to her. "My TA is a natural blocked, if you know what that means."  
  
Charlotte had to bite on the inside of her cheeks not to scream. She definitely knew what that meant.  
  
"Some people confuse it with telepathy and her being able to read minds, but she's only untouchable for mind readers, illusionists and such."  
  
 _Oh God._ Less than one day in and somebody already knew she wasn't a twenty-seven year old man. But why had she called Charlotte 'Mister'?  
  
"Charles?" Erik's brow furrowed. "She really can't read people's minds and even if she could, she wouldn't without permission. Emma's very nice and likes to take care of everyone."  
  
Charlotte had to go talk to her. "Interesting", she squeaked. "Anyone else?"  
  
"One of the coaches controls energy beams, Alex Summers. In Science there's Hank McCoy who you will probably notice sometime soon. And-"  
  
She never had much patience and picked the image of Hank McCoy out of Erik's head. It was a furry, blue skinned man. _Oh._  
  
"There is Raven, a student counsellor and she's able to change into anyone's resemblance. I suspect your boss off being a powerful telepath because he says the most annoying things and yet no-one hates him, but that's just a hunch."  
  
"Ah."  
  
They just looked at each other for a moment.  
  
"And of course there must be several along the students, but they are free to share or not share that."  
  
"Yes." She realized she was playing with one of her pens. "Great rule. Glad the government finally set it in stone."  
  
"Indeed." Erik nodded. "Well. Anyway. I visited for your essay. I even got a copy with me."  
  
That wasn't a compliment. Charlotte breathed out. "Wow. Well eh, what do you want to talk about?"

//

"Shit bugger shit!" Charlotte released her hair as soon as she stepped into their apartment.  
  
"Hi sunshine." Wesley hastily stubbed his cigarette.  
  
"I saw that." She kicked of her shoes. "They got me."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
She sat down next to him and put her feet in his lap. "Emma is a blocked girl. She literally saw straight through me."The illusion shattered around her, making her features a touch more feminine. "And I like Erik but she's his assistant and he's a head of department so he has to tell the board of course and I will be out on my ass and sh-"  
  
"You like Erik?"  
  
"Oh yes." Charlotte sighed. "He's unlike all the others. And he read my essay about mutant women."  
  
"You really managed to crush on someone in less than a day?"  
  
"Shut up." She moaned and put her hands in front of her eyes. "I'm dead. No-one will ever want to work with me again."  
  
Wesley pulled her hands away. "You've got a lot of power. Maybe she's an easy one and you can ..?"  
  
"I'm not going to try to destroy her block!"  
  
"All right, all right. Try talking to her first." He shrugged. "But besides that, you had fun?"  
  
"It was so great." Charlotte smiled. "And I think I can wear jeans."


	2. Getting adjusted

The next day Charlotte launched herself at the first possibility from her room and sped into the English department to find Emma. No-one had called her out on being a liar yet, but she found it impossible to wait and see.  
  
"Watch it!"   
  
She almost bumped in Erik. Of all people. "Hi." She scratched her chin, copying the gesture Wesley always made when in thought. "I'm looking for Emma. Do you know where I can find her?"  
  
"Good morning, Charles. End of the hall, room on the left. But maybe I can help?"  
  
"No." Charlotte shook her head. "I mean, no thank you."  
  
"You're not going to try to steal my TA away from me, are you?" Erik crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Because I will have to take measures against that."  
  
"Not going to steal away, just want to .. talk to her." _Couldn't he just move aside for Pete sake?_ "Emma!"  
  
The woman was just leaving her room.   
  
"Excuse me." Charlotte side stepped Erik and walked over to her. "Hi. Could we maybe talk for a moment?" She felt curiosity and confusion radiate from Erik and she would love to tell him that she really wasn't hitting on his TA, but there were more important things right now.   
  
Emma's eyes narrowed. "Mister Xavier?"  
  
"Charles, please. Do you have a moment?" _What did she see? How powerful was her block?_   
  
"Of course. My room?"  
  
"Great." She followed her in. "I'm just going to come clean", Charlotte started as soon as she had locked the door. "Yesterday I learned that you are blocked. I myself am-"  
  
"Hiding." Emma met her eyes. "I can only see it when I look straight at you and it's so vague, like multiple pictures stacked on to each other that I don't know what's wr- different about you. Something happened?"  
  
Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief. "You could say that."  
  
"I didn't tell anyone. I'm a firm believer that everyone has a right to their privacy and personal experiences and should only share them when comfortable."  
  
"Thank you. Does .. Am I the only one?"  
  
Emma laughed, a gentle tinkling. "Lots of students try to hide acne, rings under their eyes and stuff, both mutants and humans that took help from mutants. I always see people on their bad day."  
  
"That must be .. uplifting." Charlotte put a hand in her pocket and turned to the door. "Well, that was everything I wanted to know, to be honest. I don't want to be hanged like I'm an intruder or cheater because the all-seeing-eye notices something about me."  
  
The woman blushed. "I'm far from all seeing. But thanks for the compliment."  
  
"Did everything work out?" Erik was waiting for her by the door.  
  
"Did you listen in?" She tried to make it sound teasing.   
  
The man shook his head. "I know that women like their personal space. Could she help?"  
  
 _Of course you know that._ Charlotte told herself not to get to starry eyed. "Very much. Now I'm going to try the dining hall."  
  
"You would be better off coming with me."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Dining hall food is disastrous." Erik walked alongside of her to the front doors of the department. "Of campus there's Yahava's, they have nice sandwiches. If you want to, anyway?"  
  
 _This wasn't a date and she shouldn't care about how she looked right now._ "Thanks for the offer. Just let me get my pu- wallet."   
  
"I'll see you in front." The man left her behind with great strides.   
  
At least she was making friends with her colleagues? That he was tall and gorgeous and emancipated was just a nice extra .. Charlotte silently cursed herself. _And maybe I shouldn't forget the fact that he thinks I'm a man and I should never ever flirt with him, because there are people out there who think same-sex love worse than any mutation._

_//_

The first month on the job passed in a blur. Several days a week Charlotte lunched with Erik, talking about mutants, their right and their place in society. On other days she shared the meal with Emma or colleagues from her department.   
Charlotte loved it, loved being part of the people that brightened students' minds and gave them the material to learn and appreciate everything about the world around them.  
She also started to fall in love with Erik, harder and faster than she could control. She slipped in questions about 'the home life' and 'family' in the hope of discovering anything that could give her hope.   
  
"Oh, you're sure about that?" Erik's voice brought her back into the conversation. "You know who's Xavier, right? Saviour of women?"  
  
"Women don't need to be saved", she immediately replied. "Men need to realize that everything they can do, so can women. Except pee standing." Charlotte added a chuckle. "I think society would flourish if women would have more space, in every possible way. Working they w-"  
  
"Oh no." The man opposite her - Kevin from Biology, for God sake - shook his head. "Women are weaker than men, it's that s-"  
  
"Are you a professor, really?"   
  
Erik put a hand on her wrist. A nice, warm hand. "Kevin tries to be as straight and narrow as possible to make his students see the wrong way. Sometimes he forgets we're his colleagues."  
  
But Kevin didn't think it was 'the wrong way', she could pick the smugness from his mind.   
  
"What about more feminine men? Homosexuals? Are they weaker than women or still above them because they have a penis?"  
  
The man opposite her flinched. "I don't think you can find .. those in Biology, but more in your department. A different mind set?"  
  
And now he thought she was homosexual. Charlotte sighed. "At least you're very thorough in this 'showing the wrong way' thing."  
  
Erik laughed and -sadly- removed his hand. "Charles is offering your ass on a platter, Kevin."  
  
"Hm." Kevin looked ready to throttle her. "Let's just call it a department difference."  
  
"If you're fine with that." She smiled at him.   
  
Erik leaned over to her. "You really are ferocious."  
  
"I'm just here to teach the world, Erik." His breath warmed her cheek. "Just trying."  
  
"And I can completely get behind it." He sat back again. "So, who's picking up the bill today?"


	3. Cheese

Charlotte felt a mix of weirdness and this-is-so-cool when she looked at herself in the mirror hidden behind the façade of an older guy. She could even fool her own eyes.  
  
"Charlie!" Wesley was finally awake. Her brother thought that Saturdays only started after noon.  
  
"Charles!", she yelled back. "Are you still coming with me before everything's gone?"  
  
The illusion shattered and she was herself again, long hair braided and a light long skirt around her legs. When she wasn't Charles, she felt a small urge to get more feminine.  
  
"Coming with you?"  
  
"All right, I'll go by myself." Charlotte should have known. Wesley gladly ate everything she got from the Farmer's market, but was never too eager to go buy it.  
  
"You're the greatest woman in this world!"  
  
"O shut up." She grabbed her bag and left the apartment.  
  
  ~~  
  
 _I already have Camembert at home, but if I tell Wesley I'm making a four cheeses pizza .._ Charlotte's hand lingered over the cheeses in front of her, but almost lost her standing when someone knocked into her.  
  
"Apologies! Haven't had coffee .. yet." Erik's voice trailed off when he met her eyes. "Oh. Hello. I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"  
  
Charlotte closed her mouth. "Nope. No. Everything's all right."  
  
"Do I know you?" His smile lit up his face. "Oh, that has too much weight of a bad pick up line." He combed his hair back with a hand. "But do I?"  
  
"Eh .." _Should she tell him off? Change herself a bit?_  
  
"Charles!" Erik snapped with his fingers. "You remind me of a friend."  
  
 _He thought her a friend?_ Charlotte smiled. "Charles Xavier?"  
  
"You must be family. The resemblance .." He extended a hand. "Erik Lensherr."  
  
She shook it. "Ch- Francine. Xavier. He's my brother."  
  
"Fancy." Erik took a step closer. "So you're the girl that makes him so passionate about women rights."  
  
"I hope so." Charlotte released his hand.  
  
"You look a bit younger, though. I thought he said he had a twin, but .."  
  
"Troubles make you old fast." She turned to the cheeses again.  
  
"Or you just got most of the pretty genes."  
  
 _Was he flirting with her?_  
  
"Which cheeses were you looking at?" His arm brushed her shoulder.  
  
"Eh .."  
  
"Or should we get coffee first?" Erik winked at her. "The only reason I walked into was because I hadn't had any coffee yet. We can talk cheese during?"  
  
Charlotte couldn't stop a blush. "Well, er- I."  
  
"Too pushy?" He shook his head. "I'll never learn. Just say hi to your brother for me, ok-"  
  
"I'd love to hear of your cheese knowledge." This could be good. She could show Erik that she was as smart as 'her brother' while showing herself.  
  
"Serious? No pity party?"  
  
"No pity party." She turned to him. "But you have to offer me something other than coffee, because I can't stand it."  
  
"Can't stand it?" Erik's mouth dropped open in mock horror. "You just never had the right beans, clearly." He put a hand on her shoulder and immediately removed it again. "I'll show you the way. Follow me."  
  
 _I love too._ And this way, at least she wouldn't have to be afraid that Erik thought Charles was flirting with her. She didn't have to worry about innuendo and everything!  
  
    ~~~  
  
"There is just a scary double standard. Women should be more, but aren't allowed more. It's like putting a tiger in a cage in a zoo and at the same time ask it to go hunting prey for you! I-" Charlotte stopped herself, before she completely got carried away. I'm sorry, when I start, I can never finish under fifteen minutes."  
  
Erik nodded. "It's very nice to see someone so passionate about something." He pointed at her coffee. "But was it an excuse to not try your coffee or did you genuinely forget?"  
  
"Oh." She blushed. "I'll pay you for it."  
  
"No, not a problem. We just need to get another one." There was a twinkle in his eye. "I mean; your twin brother likes what I serve, why wouldn't you?"


	4. Charlotte

Monday before Charlotte could even start her course, Erik knocked on her door and walked in.  
  
"Good morning."  
  
"morning." Saturday had been brilliant. They had talked for three hours about cheese and coffee, cooking, family and society and their place in it. Erik had touched her hand and offered her his coffee and wiped a stray hair from her face and the only reason she had left was because Wesley might worry about her.   
  
"Charles .." Erik wrung his hands. "I met your sister on Saturday."  
  
'Yes, she told me." Charlotte looked at her lesson material. "You kept her for quite a while."  
  
"It was really nice."   
  
'She sounded enthusiastic as well." _What did he want?_   
  
"Yes. So, I wanted to a-"  
  
"Hi Prof!" A group of students tumbled into the room. "Can I set up for my presentation?", Ella asked.   
  
"Sure. Sure." Charlotte looked up at Erik. "You were saying?"  
  
Erik looked -just for a second- lost. It was hard not to slip in behind those eyes and discover what was going on. "It can wait. Yahava's for lunch? I'll pick you up at half past twelve."  
  
"Sure, good idea." _Come on, what's going on?_  
  
"Professor?" Ella tried to balance a beamer on the stool. "Can I put this on your table?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I'll see you later." Erik nodded and walked away.   
  
_He's so hot_ , Ella thought while she pretended to look at the machine.   
  
Charlotte could only agree.  
  
  ~~~  
  
It was 12.45 when Erik finally knocked on her door. "Yes, coming!" Charlotte rose, grabbed her wallet and walked over to the door, which already opened for her.  
  
"Charles .." Erik raised a hand in a 'wait in a minute' sign.   
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Is your sister .. seeing someone?"  
  
"Oh."She only realized when she was blushing when she saw the look on Erik's face turn from careful to shocked.   
  
"Charles, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you! I just don't feel like that with m-"  
  
"Excuse me?" Her throat squeaked. "You think I.. no! No not at all!" Charlotte put her hands on her cheeks and willed herself to stop blushing. "She's free, she likes you.. "  
  
"I thought you .. me .." Erik swallowed. "Well, that's completely arrogant and embarrassing of me. There were just things .."  
  
"I'm not homosexual", Charlotte hissed. _But I might be in love with you._  
  
"But even if you were, I really wouldn't m-mind. I should stop trying to put my foot in my mouth. Can I buy you lunch? I just wanted to ask if you wouldn't mind if I asked her for a date because I like to think we're friends an-"  
  
"Let's just go get lunch." _Oh bugger. If Erik thought it, did other of their colleagues think Charles Xavier was too feminine?_  
  
"Yes." Erik shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. "Yes, sure."  
  
"And I don't think you should tell Francine that you asked for my okay. It doesn't look very emancipated." Charlotte slipped past him and pulled the door closed behind her. "Anyway. Lunch."

//

The lunch had been incredibly uncomfortable and Charlotte hadn't seen Erik for the rest of the week.   
  
She had always been a big supporter of lists and instead of bawling her eyes out over how stupid she had been (she wasn't a crying person anyway), she had made a list with options.  
  
1) Tell Erik of the entire situation and expect him not to freak out, be disgusted or tell anyone else.  
2) Take the entire memory from his mind   
3) Let Francine (and oh how she hated her middle name) assure Erik that Charles really wasn't like that, keep her job and possible the man she really liked.  
  
"Shit." She put her head in her hands. _Or you could ignore the man almost twice your age, stay on until the end of the year and flee to another university._   
  
"Charles?"  
  
Charlotte looked up to professor Luther. "Sir?"   
  
"Everything all right?" Her boss smiled. "You know that talking to yourself is never a good sign, not even for professors. Can I help you with something?"  
  
 _You could tell the board of trustees to take on female professors. Add a time controlling mutant to go back a couple of months and it would be lovely._   
"It's a bit personal, but I'm sure I can work it out by myself. It won't influence my work, of course. But thanks for asking."  
  
"Yes." Luther nodded. "Anyway, can I still ask you something?"   
  
"Of course." She tried a smile.   
  
"Erik Lensherr's birthday is coming up. His assistant told me that he has .." the professor coughed, "and please don't kill me over this, that he has taken quite a liking to your sister. So I wanted to invite both of you to a small gathering we'll have."  
  
 _Oh shit._ Charlotte closed her mouth and bit her bottom lip. _Shit._  
  
"This Sunday afternoon, in Yahava's. Just a small group of colleagues?"  
  
"Yes. I'll ask her, I mean." Her mind was already going over the possibilities. _Take Wesley? Like he'd agree to it. Split herself in two? She had never tried it before, but .._   
  
"Good, good. I would have never thought Lensherr was even interested in anything else than the English literature but .. Emma seems to know something and women .. they know best, right?"  
  
"Most of the time." _Taken quite a liking? After three hours? Or did he somehow know?_   
  
"I'll let you return to your personal problem." Her boss saluted. "And ask your sister, okay?"  
  
 _You just did._ "Will do."  
  
   ~~~  
  
"No." Wesley stretched, yawned and returned to his book. "Nope. Just tell them Charles got down with diarrhoea, you were sure with Erik around no-one will h- wait a second. I should go check on this Erik-guy because I'm your big brother and he might be twice your age."  
  
"You're my big brother by _two minutes._ And .. he's only thirteen years older." Charlotte winced. "We're not going to marry or something, I just like him. You don't have to check on him."   
  
"So you'll go with the diarrhoea story?" Wesley smirked. "That will be a party starter."  
  
"How much do I need to beg to get you to come with me? I'll just share my mind with you so you know everyone and everything that happened the last couple of months and please?" She knelt next to the couch he sat on. "Please please please I'll make you cheese fondue for a month."  
  
"Lot .. " Her brother sighed. "How are you going to fix this? Keep it up until one of you retires?"  
  
"Let's just get through Sunday first. You'll do it. Please?" She definitely didn't want to think about the future. "Cheese fondue?"  
  
"Every Sunday for two months." He sat upright. "All right, give me the info."  
  
"Yes!" She joined him on the couch and took his head. "I'm sure this is going to work out great."


	5. Erik's birthday

This time, Charlotte wasn't the only woman at the gathering. Emma was there and Raven as well.  
  
"Francine!" Erik's smile grew when he spotted her. "I didn't know you were coming as well!"  
  
 _This was it._ From the corner of her eye she saw Wesley in the horrible corduroy suit, looking just a tad older than her and completely like the Charles she saw in the mirror every day. "Surprise."  
  
"You look go- really nice." He stopped in front of her. "Where's your br-"  
  
"Erik." Wesley smiled at him. "Congratulations." He offered him his hand. "Ch- Francine got you a gift. She seems to know you better than I do."  
  
 _Really, Wesley?_   
  
Erik looked unsure for a moment. "Oh, that's not .. we just .. talked once and you shouldn't have got me a pre-"  
  
"Charles!"  
  
Charlotte cursed herself silently when both of them looked up to Luther's arrival. Especially because Erik noticed it as well.  
  
"This must be Francine", Her boss offered her his hand. "So nice of you to come. I hope Charles doesn't speak badly about us?"  
  
"Not at all."  
  
"You know I love it here, professor." Wesley smiled. "The things I did to get here .. I'm glad it's worth it."  
  
 _Stop it!_   
  
"Can I get you a drink?" Erik leaned into her, cutting her off from Luther and her brother.   
  
"I can get one myself."  
  
"Can I join you in getting one?" He radiated so much emotions right now, it was hard not to dip in and make it all clear for him.  
  
"Of course." Charlotte smiled. "Do you want your present now, or later?"  
  
"It can wait. If it's not too big and heavy for you to carry around." Erik took her hand and zigzagged through the crowd. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
"It's not too big or heavy." She felt like things were slipping out of her control too fast. "What do you want to ask?"  
  
"Why didn't you bring Charles with you?" The question was light, but it had an angry undertone. "Is this another brother? Triplets? Secret identities?"  
  
"How did you know?" Charlotte took his arm and pulled him away from the buffet to a more silent corner. "And -I mean, what are you talking about and please keep your voice down."  
  
"Because I have eyes in my head. This guy carries himself differently, talks different, while Charles is much more similar to you." He frowned. "Much more .."  
  
"No." She felt like yelling out of frustration. "He's my brother. My twin brother. Charles is a .." _Just tell him!_ a part of her screamed in frustration.   
  
"What? Shape shifter? Figment of his imagination?" Erik's face softened. "I don't want to hurt you, Francine, but I don't want to be lied at and something stinks about this, I'm sorry to say."  
  
"What's going on?" Wesley had sneaked up on them. Because now really was the time to use his abilities. "Everything all right, Francine?"  
  
Both of them looked at her for an answer.  
  
"Yes." Charlotte looked at the floor.   
  
"Liar." Wesley pulled her against him. "I knew you'd be a sucker, but I gave her a chance because she said you were _so_ nice and she wanted to clear everything u-"  
  
"Shut up!" She clasped her hand over his mouth.  
  
"Clear everything up?" The frown on Erik's face returned, his eyes dark. "Are you a fraud?"  
  
"Oi, birthday boy", one of their colleagues walked over. "You can't hang back like this."   
  
"I think we should go."  
  
"Shut up, Derek." Erik put a hand on her shoulder, but Wesley pulled her away.  
  
"Come on, Lot. These guys clearly don't appreciate you."  
  
 _You're ruining it! Everything!_   
  
Her brother turned to her. "He's a mutant hater! Why do you even care?"  
  
That silenced the entire room. Charlotte wished she could sink through the floor.   
  
"What the fuck is going on?", someone offered at the other side of the room.   
  
"He's not", she whispered.  
  
Erik looked like he could spit fire. "Excuse me? How the f-"  
  
"Let's calm down, every one." Professor Luther stepped in. "Charles?"  
  
"We're leaving", Wesley replied. "I'll see you on Monday."  
  
"Stop it!" Charlotte pulled free from her brother, giving him his own appearance back. "I'm not a fraud!"   
  
That shifted the attention to her successfully.  
  
"I just told all of you that I'm a twenty seven year old man so I could get a job that suits my degrees. But this is me. I'm Charles. And a telepath."  
  
Wesley was the first to break the silence. "Oh Lot, you just had to do it .."

//

"You told us that you're a twenty seven year old man so you could be a professor?" Professor Luther looked confused. "How? When? I mean .. huh?"  
  
That broke the tense atmosphere. A few men laughed.   
  
"So you dressed up as a man to get a professor's job? Do you know that's i-"  
  
"Oh shut up, dimwit." Wesley rolled with his eyes. "Charlotte's a-"  
  
"I can explain myself, thank you." Charlotte met Erik's eyes. Thankfully he didn't look away. She swallowed. If she could control a group of students, she definitely could talk to a couple of professors. She was one herself, after all.   
  
"Two years ago, close to finishing my degrees, I came round and asked if this university offered jobs for women. The first question in return was how old I was. After honestly replying, I was told I could come back when I passed the 21 mark and try it as a TA. I don't want to be a TA. My brother told me it was a-"  
  
"Charle- Charlotte." Her boss smiled. "How old are you? If I may ask?"  
  
Now she had to look away from Erik. Now everyone would decide that they had been foiled and only her telepathic ability got her here. "Eighteen, sir. Nineteen in two weeks."  
  
"You're kidding." Someone remarked. "No-one finishes his degrees before their twenties."  
  
"She did." Wesley looked at her. "Can we go? Please?"  
  
"No, Wes. Professor Luther, I want to tell you that everything we have talked about and you have experienced is real. I have the brain, just not the necessary balls."  
  
"Oh that's disg-"  
  
"Shut up", Erik intervened. "I know you're hurting right now John, because there's a girl who's so much smarter than you. But don't offend her."  
  
 _And so it started. Now she was a girl and people needed to defend her honor._   
  
"Can we talk about this tomorrow?" Thank God for her boss. Professor Luther looked a bit tired. "I think that will work out much better. For everyone."  
  
"Of course, sir. Thank you."   
  
      ~~~~~  
  
"Charlotte!"   
  
Wesley and Charlotte turned back to see Erik running towards them.   
  
"Oh God."  
  
"Shut up, Wesley." Charlotte was torn between complete happiness and fear. Was he here to tell her that he couldn't like an eighteen year old? She walked over to him. "Erik."  
  
"Charlotte is a pretty name." He smiled. "And I .. I really like you. I already thought you were too good to be true, so this doesn't come as a surprise but I'm sorry for .. outing you like that."  
  
"I outed myself." She felt herself turning mellow. "I really like you as well."  
  
"Lot, he's a bastard!" Wesley yelled. "Come on!"  
  
"He doesn't care for me, though."  
  
"Never does for the guys I like." Charlotte tried to stay calm. "I mean .."  
  
"Maybe we can have a drink some time?" He sucked his bottom lip in. "If you don't have a problem with me being an old m-"  
  
"Shut up." _Please._   
  
"Great." Erik suddenly looked like a little boy, before he leaned into her and kissed her on her cheek. "See you on Monday?"  
  
"Yes. Of course. Yes."   
  
"Now I'm going to run before your brother attacks me." He had found his bravado again. "Nice to meet you, Charlotte."


	6. Epilogue

"So, Charles had been sick for a week. His students miss him, I miss him .." Erik looked up from his coffee. "Will you be back?"  
  
Charlotte met his eyes. "Professor Luther wishes for me to stay on. He doesn't know how to explain a sudden disappearance to the board of trustees and he says he appreciates what I've done until now." She had missed him. "He also agrees that I should keep the charade up while he talks about the university 'updating' to female professors."  
  
"So you'll be back." He offered his cup. "Want to taste?"  
  
 _I want to know if you like Charles or Charlotte better._ She kept the thought to herself and took the cup from him, hands touching. "Of course. You're the road to nice tasting coffee, right?"  
  
"I hope to be more." Erik smiled and looked away.  
  
"Ah, yes." Charlotte sipped from the cup. "You seem not very impressed with the entire situation. Did Emma t-"  
  
"Emma didn't tell me anything. Having a telepathic ability is very rare. You're the fi-"  
  
"Fifth in my generation in the States, yes." She didn't want to talk about that. She wanted to talk about 'I hope to be more' but didn't dare. "This was the first time I tried something so big, I just want to teac-"  
  
"That's amazing. Although you might have kept your flirting more in control."  
  
 _Like you read my mind._   
  
That made him look at her again. "I thought telepathy only worked one way."   
  
Charlotte returned his coffee to him. "Depends on what you think of one way. We could have this conversation if our heads. I still don't care for coffee."  
  
"I guess that means we just have to keep trying, don't you think?" Erik took the cup, but curled his other hand around hers. "I knew you were full of surprises, but I didn't expect anything like this. And I want to know more. Much more."  
  
She couldn't control a blush creeping up. "Well, my favourite tea is green with some honey. My second name is Francine, which I thoroughly despise. And-"  
  
"When you blush like that it's very hard not to kiss you."  
  
 _When you say something like that it's very hard to keep talking._ Charlotte felt light headed. "Eh .."  
  
"Hey, are you two ready to order something to eat?" The waiter seemed completely obvious to what was happening.  
  
 _If you want to leave this place .._ The thought was loud and Erik stared at her like he wanted to drill it into her, which made her laugh.   
  
"The bill, please. We won't be eating." _You really don't have to think so loud. Nor look at me._   
  
_Why would I not look at you?_   
  
"Oh, all right." The waiter nodded. "Enjoy your day."  
  
"We will", both of them replied at the same time.


End file.
